South University-Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, Virginia · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 7/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
South University-Virginia Beach scores 7 out of 100. The main figures are: an 8.3% completion rate (on a 240-student campus, where one cohort can move this figure widely), median earnings 10 years after entry of $34,421 (essentially flat from year six's $32,500), a 999-year (effectively infinite) payback period, a 0.804 debt-to-earnings ratio, and a 45.3% three-year repayment rate. The earnings premium is actually negative (-0.5%). Tuition is $18,145 with net price at $27,843 (significantly higher than tuition due to room, board, and fees), and four-year cost runs $111,372. Median federal debt is $26,123. The single bright spot is the Registered Nursing program (24 graduates, C+ grade, $77,635 first-year earnings, 0.539 debt-to-earnings ratio) - if a student can complete the BSN here, the math works. The 240-student for-profit campus has a high net price relative to its earnings figures, and its completion rate has ranged from 0% to 40% over the last eight years.
How South University-Virginia Beach scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score7/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate8.3% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
South University-Virginia Beach
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Average net price | $27,843/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $111,372 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,421 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,123 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $277 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 8.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 240 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $18,145/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $27,843/year, or roughly $111,372 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $25,368/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,123, which works out to about $277 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,500) and comes to 0.80, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $25,368 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $32,147 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $30,964 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-$30,000 pay $25,368 net price - shockingly high for the lowest income bracket, indicating that Pell does not stack with meaningful institutional aid here. With the 8.3% completion rate, low-income students face the highest absolute risk of debt-without-degree. This is the demographic the school's financial outcomes harm most.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $32,147 - the highest of any reported tier, and an inverted bracket (paying $6,779 more than the $0-$30,000 bracket and $1,183 more than the next-higher $48,001-$75,000 tier). The aid model exhibits multiple inversions, suggesting incomplete data or unusual pricing. Middle-income families pay over $32,000 annually here, and the completion rate is 8%.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Net price for $75,001-$110,000 and $110,001+ brackets is not reported. Assume close-to-sticker pricing of $28,000+ annually.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at South University-Virginia Beach with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $91,363 | C+ |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $53,445 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $46,885 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $46,322 | F |
| Public Health | $45,993 | F |
| Psychology | $39,694 | F |
| Information Science | $58,915 | F |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $47,390 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Twenty-four graduates - by far the most graduates in any program here - earn a C+ grade. First-year earnings of $77,635 climb to $91,363 by year four against $41,815 median debt and a 0.539 debt-to-earnings ratio. This is the only program at this campus where the ROI math works. Tidewater-area hospitals (Sentara, Riverside) hire BSN graduates regardless of school of origin. The debt is higher than at a public BSN program but the earnings are competitive. For nursing-bound students with no other option, this is workable; for all others, the calculus is starkly different.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Three graduates earn an F grade. First-year earnings of $43,773 against $55,162 median debt produce a 1.26 debt-to-earnings ratio. The small graduate count makes the data noisy, but the pattern is clear: business credentials at this campus cost too much against the resulting earnings.
Public Health
Three graduates earn an F grade. First-year earnings of $34,789 against $56,262 median debt produce a 1.617 ratio - graduates owe more than a year and a half of pre-tax income. Public health bachelor's typically requires the MPH for advancement; layering this debt on top of graduate borrowing is financially unsustainable for most students.
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Three graduates earn an F grade. First-year earnings of $39,722 against $55,123 median debt produce a 1.388 ratio. Healthcare administration entry-level roles do not require the four-year credential.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Three graduates earn an F grade. First-year earnings of $37,713 against $55,652 median debt produce a 1.476 ratio. Virginia law enforcement and corrections roles are accessible through academy training and associate-level credentials; this bachelor's adds debt without changing the entry-level salary band. The high debt-to-earnings ratio reflects the for-profit pricing model rather than program-specific failures.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 38.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 45.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 27.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 33.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How South University-Virginia Beach’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2011-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 240 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 52.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,664 |
South University-Virginia Beach does not report an admission rate, SAT, or ACT range in current Scorecard data, consistent with open-enrollment for-profit practice. The 8.3% completion rate is the most important fit signal here: more than 90% of entering students do not finish. That number alone should weigh heavily in any prospective student's calculus.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| South University-Virginia Beach (this school) | 7 | $27,843 | $34,421 |
| South University-Montgomery | 7 | $27,807 | $34,421 |
| National American University-Rapid City | 7 | $31,062 | $37,325 |
| American InterContinental University-Atlanta | 7 | $16,482 | $36,144 |
| South University-Savannah Online | 7 | $28,049 | $34,421 |
| South University-Austin | 7 | $25,680 | $34,421 |
Who Thrives Here
South University-Virginia Beach enrolls 240 students with a 52.8% Pell rate. The fit is extremely narrow: students already accepted into the BSN program with employer tuition support and a clear hospital-employment pathway might find the nursing track defensible. For all other programs, the financial outcomes data shows an overwhelming pattern of debt-without-degree. Students considering this campus for non-nursing programs should reconsider.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, South University-Virginia Beach scores 7/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,843 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $34,421 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 8.3% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 45.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,123 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
South University-Virginia Beach: Common Questions
Is South University-Virginia Beach worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. South University-Virginia Beach scores 7/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,843 a year after aid against $34,421 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does South University-Virginia Beach cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $27,843 a year, or roughly $111,372 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do South University-Virginia Beach graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $34,421 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off South University-Virginia Beach?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for South University-Virginia Beach. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do South University-Virginia Beach graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,123, against average earnings of $32,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at South University-Virginia Beach?
The six-year graduation rate is 8.3%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.